All Hallows Read: Join Me This October!

October is my favorite month for many reasons. The leaves are beautiful. The cider is delicious. Hot tea is back in vogue. The autumn beers are on tap. We get to dress up in fabulous costumes.

Aaaand … I break out the scary books.

I save all of my horror reading for October, and this month I’ve got a spooktastic lineup in order. I’m including mostly classic horror writers—Stephen King , H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson. But if I come across one, I’m hoping to add a lesser known horror book to my repertoir, too. (Well, lesser known to me—perhaps not to you horror lit connoisseurs out there.)

Here’s my (tentative) horror lineup:

I like to read at least one book that actually frightens me. Last year it was The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. (I first saw the movie when I was about ten years old, and since then I’ve been terrified of The Exorcist in all its forms.) This year, I expect to be frightened by The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. (I’m likewise afraid of it thanks to a traumatic viewing of the movie in my childhood.)

I’ll be examining exactly what makes a book scary to me. Some horror stories don’t faze me at all, while others make my insides freeze up with terror. Why is that? Is it the subject matter? The writing style? The word choice? The experiences we bring to the book? What makes a book “creepy” but not “terrifying”? I’m fascinated by the details of feeling scared.

Will you join me?

I invite you to join me this October for All Hallows Read. All you have to do is pick up at least one book that frightens you. October is all about being scared and facing our literary fears!

What book frightens you the most? What are you planning on reading this October? Write about it! Happy HallowRead!